Question Hello, first of all i would like to thank you. You are doing absolutely great
work here, and i always enjoy reading your answers, as i find them very
thorough, once again, good job! My question is regarding the translation of a
old american military motto, which i have tried my very best to get translated,
but so far, completely without luck. I had hoped you would be so kind as to
help me translate the old saying:
"Rather be judged by 12 then carried by 6"
The numeric values is by choice so i seek no translation of the numbers.
I hope you are able to help me, as it would make me very grateful.
Thanks in advance
Regards
Deniz D. Hansen
Answer Hello,
First of all I want to thank you for your kind words.
As for the idiomatic expression “Rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6”, a literal Latin translation could be the following:
- “Melius est a duodecim iudicari hominibus quam umeris ferri a sex”.
Anyway such a Latin phrase would sound absolutely strange to Latin-speaking peoples who would have expressed the same concept by saying:
-“Melius est in iudicium vocari quam occidi ac sepeliri “.
[literally, “Rather be judged than be killed and be buried”].
Hope this can be helpful to you.
Best regards,
Maria
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Note that:
-Rather = MELIUS EST
-be judged = IUDICARI (passive infinitive of IUDICO)
-by = A ( preposition which takes the ablative case)
-12 = DUODECIM HOMINIBUS (by 12 man jury)
-than = QUAM
-carried = UMERIS FERRI (from FERO)
-by = A
-6 = SEX.
_____________________________
-Rather = MELIUS EST
-be judged = IN IUDICIUM VOCARI (i.e. to go to court )
-than = QUAM
-carried by 6 = OCCIDI AC SEPELIRI
To be carried by 6 is to be dead, in fact, as 6 people use to carry a coffin.
